Per Sassaman’s colleague Devren Washington, lack of digital literacy impacts a person’s unemployment from the very beginning of their job search in the city.

“People who struggle with digital literacy are less likely to own a computer or know how to use it as a tool in their job search,” he wrote in an email to Technical.ly. “This puts them at a disadvantage in comparison to other candidates. If they manage to navigate sites like Indeed or Monster, which requires a certain level of digital competency, application sorting algorithms reduce the chances of their application being seen.”

And the disadvantages go on. These candidates are less likely to even find jobs to apply for and will submit fewer applications than others, Washington added.

But there are resources available to help increase people’s broadband access and power their job hunts in Philadelphia.